McLEISH guided Hibs back from relegation to the top flight at the first time of asking in 1999 but says with the strength of next season's Championship they can;t afford to go down this time round.

Alex McLeish may consider moving abroad in an attempt to kick-start his managerial career

ALEX McLEISH helped Hibs back on their feet after their last freefall out of the top flight in 1998.

Now the former Easter Road boss warns
they can’t afford to drop down again – because this time it will be much harder to bounce straight back up.

McLeish
wasn’t able to save Hibs from relegation when he left Motherwell for Easter Road but he soon realised it was no disaster to spend a season rebuilding in the First Division.

After
winning the league at a canter, McLeish consolidated in his first season back in the top flight before going on to claim third place and a
Scottish Cup final date with Celtic in 2001.

By the time of their first game back in Europe in 2001, the pain of relegation was little more than a distant memory.

This time around, however, Eck fears more severe consequences if Terry Butcher’s side can’t arrest the slump that has seen them go five defeats on the trot and fail to score in their last four games.

With
Hearts and Rangers, plus possibly Falkirk and Dunfermline, set to square up in an almighty second-tier battle next season, the hopes of a quick rebound would appear slim.

This time the price of relegation
is unthinkable. So McLeish reckons the best thing for these jittery players is to stop thinking about it and focus on the few positives they
have left before everything is lost.

Big
Eck said: “This is a time for players to be bold and not be suffocated by fear. Someone has to stand up and be the inspiration that gives the rest the confidence to get over the line – and I do still believe they will steer clear of that relegation play-off.

“But they can’t take it for granted. How many times have we heard clubs are too big or too good to go down only for the stats to prove otherwise?

“When I took over at Hibs we still had enough points to play for that would keep us up but by then the team
was in a freefall mode a bit like what the current team is going through.

“I knew pretty quickly we would need to take a step back to take two forward. Still, it was a horrible feeling being relegated.

“But I focused our challenge to rebuild in the summer and get ourselves straight back up.

“The
fans responded brilliantly and really got behind us. By the time we got
back up the pain of relegation was largely forgotten.

“But
when you look at the Championship next season, with Rangers and Hearts,
it would be much more difficult to get back up. That shouldn’t be in the Hibs players’ minds now. They must remember they are in a stronger position than Ross County with a three-point gap to protect.

“They can’t get too far ahead of themselves because all that matters is the next game.”

Graham Stuart/Action Images

Hibernian manager Terry Butcher

The next game perhaps more than any other because the team that lies in wait is Hearts.

Much
has changed in the three weeks since the last derby when Hibs had travelled to Tynecastle intent on officially relegating their old foes, only to run into a brick wall of defiance from Gary Locke’s gutsy side, who won 2-0.

Now their doomed rivals are gearing up for the return visit to Leith on Sunday on a mission to drag Hibs down with them.

And McLeish believes Butcher’s men should learn something from the never-say-die spirit the Jambos showed last time out.

He said: “If Hearts were to drag them deeper into the drop zone, it would be the ultimate insult that rubs salt in the wound.

“So
in a similar vein to the way Hearts made sure they didn’t go down at the hands of their rivals, Hibs could use that motivation to help them win this derby.

“I saw Hibs
against Aberdeen recently and I don’t think I would be offending Terry when I say I couldn’t see where they would get a goal from.

“That’s where you need the inspiration I was talking about because it just takes a flash of brilliance or a couple of breaks to turn things around.

“It’s hard for players when confidence is low and losing can become a habit – but they are still three points clear of danger.

“Make no mistake, they are playing for their futures.

“But above all they are playing for personal and professional pride – and to preserve the good name of Hibs.”